Elections

Featured events

The LARGEST student-led parade in Europe - the Torcher Parade - is celebrating its 126th birthday on 28th March 2015! Supporting over charities.
30 torchbearers lead more than 2000 students in fancy dress on 30 floats around Aberdeen city centre.

Representation

Representation

How AUSA represents you

Your Student Officer team

The student officers are elected every spring from among your peers. They become full members of the Board of Trustees of AUSA (we're a registered Scottish charity!) as well as representing all of our 16,000 plus students to the University of Aberdeen, the local community, and local and national government. Our team and the support staff have influenced all sorts of positive outcomes for students - from protecting your access to Houses of Multiple Occupation to ensuring that Lifelong Learning remains a priority, to making sure vegan options are available up at the Hub.

Your Executive Committee

The Exec help steer the student officers on major decisions, support campaigns and other work of the Association, and support the student committees which organse so much of our activity every year.

Your Standing Committees

Whether it's welfare or education, sports or societies, liberation or the environment that you care about, there are students working on all of these areas all of the time. If it's charity that you care about, your Raising and Giving (RAG) committee are always hard at work to deliver great events that benefit our 30+ chosen local charities. And our Halls Reps ensure that students in University- and private-owned halls accommodation are represented, too.

How you are represented nationally

National Union of Students (NUS)

NUS (National Union of Students) is a voluntary membership organisation which makes a real difference to the lives of students and its member students' unions.
They are a confederation of local student representative organisations in colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland which have democratically chosen to affiliate and pay a membership fee. AUSA's members are automatically members of NUS and NUS Scotland because of this.

The core values which NUS believe in (and are shared by AUSA) are...

EqualityNUS believe there should be equality of opportunity for everyone to participate fully in a society that celebrates diversity

DemocracyNUS's policies and priorities must be student-led and students’ union-focused through building open, transparent and accessible democratic structures

CollectivismStudents and students’ unions are more effective when they organise together locally, nationally and internationally: unity is NUS's strength

NUS Scotland

AUSA is also a member of NUS Scotland.
NUS Scotland is a federation of local student organisations in Scotland, comprising over 60 local campus organisations affiliated to NUS UK.
The students’ associations in membership of NUS Scotland account for 85 per cent of students in higher education and more than 90 per cent of students in further education in Scotland.

Recognised by the Scottish Parliament

NUS Scotland is recognised by the Scottish parliament as the key voice of students in Scotland.
They work in collaboration with both local and national government, trade union, pressure and voluntary organisations and have a track record of winning for students. They also maintain a high profile in the Scottish media.

NUS Scotland runs four liberation campaigns

We recognise that our student population is diverse and ever-changing. To ensure all our members are included in the student movement, NUS Scotland has four liberation campaigns:

Women’s Campaign

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) Campaign,

Disabled Students Campaign

Black Students Campaign

These correspond to a number of AUSA's own liberation and equality forums.

British University College Sport (BUCS)

British University College Sport (BUCS) is a national body representing both student and staff aspects of sport in the UK. It runs more fixtures than any other sports association in Europe and has 153 members.

Scottish Student Sports (SSS)

Scottish Student Sports (SSS) was formed several years ago with the merger of SUSF and SUSPEA. It represents both student and staff aspects of sport. It is currently looking at offering affiliation to FE institutions which may increase its membership of 16. The organisation is responsible for running all BUCS leagues on its behalf as well as offering numerous other sports leagues not associated with BUCS.